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Speaker’s Minute: Calling on the Senate to Pass Job-Training Reform

January 27, 2014|Speaker Boehner's Press Office

WASHINGTON, DC – In a Speaker’s Minute on the House floor today, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) called on the Democratic-run Senate to pass the SKILLS Act, one of dozens of House-passed bills that would help create jobs and foster opportunity:

“Today in our country, far too many Americans have been unemployed for too long. Out of every 10 people looking for work, nearly four have been looking for more than six months. What for many families began as a crisis has turned into a reality, a new normal.

“This is why the House has passed dozens of jobs bills that would create a better environment for hiring and more economic growth.

“One proposal awaiting action in the Senate is H.R. 803, the SKILLS Act. Right now, if you want to acquire new skills to qualify for a good job, you’re up against a job-training system that is a maze of overlapping programs and waste.

“The SKILLS Act streamlines and strengthens the system to make it more effective for those who need help. It reduces roadblocks for both job-seekers and employers trying to find the right candidates.

“While our economy has been changing, the way we help prepare our workers has not. It’s been more than 15 years since we last updated our job training programs. It’s about time we do this. And with so many Americans still asking ‘where are the jobs?,’ it’s clearly past time that we do this.

“Unfortunately, not only have Senate Democrats failed to act on this measure, their focus continues to be on improving unemployment. Our focus should be on improving employment, on making it easier to create jobs and to boost wages.

“To help the nation’s long-term unemployed, the Senate should pass the SKILLS Act as soon as possible.”